Ohio District to Upgrade Entire Camera System

Marion City Schools plans to spend just over $626,000 to upgrade video surveillance cameras in all eight of its buildings after a 2018 audit found that a majority of its current cameras were outdated.

By Jessica Davis

April 19, 2019

Marion City Schools plans to spend just over $626,000 to upgrade video surveillance cameras in all eight of its buildings to increase security. The district’s board of education unanimously decided to upgrade the entire camera system on Monday.

According to Superintendent Ronald Iarussi, the district plans to replace all of its current security cameras by the end of August. The district will be adding more cameras to school hallways and entrances.

An audit of the district’s camera system, completed by the John Thomas Educational Consulting Group in early 2018, found that a majority of the district’s current cameras had been in use for almost two decades. According to the audit, the analog-technology cameras had grainy footage and limited coverage in some areas within district facilities, and some cameras were found to be inoperable.

Iarussi said some cameras have been updated since then, and others have been relocated to more strategic points within the district’s buildings. He said the district will be installing 535 cameras throughout its campuses and upgrading to newer technology with drastically clearer image quality.

Administrators, resource officers and office support staff will be able to access real-time footage, Iarussi said. School officials said the updated camera system was part of a larger plan to boost security.

The district’s School Board President Ted McKinniss said the upgrades will address concerns about the district’s cameras being outdated or offering limited coverage.

"A number of parents and community members were asking what we were doing to make sure that students were safe in our buildings," he said.

According to Iarussi, the new cameras will have increased video storage capacity, in case staff need to go back and view previous footage. Administrators and school resource officers will be able to access those cameras from a mobile device.